This invention relates generally to a fan arrangement for circulating conditioned air through a mobile container used to transport perishable goods such as fruits and vegetables.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,384, there is disclosed an air-tight mobile container for storing perishable goods that ripen exothermically while in transit. A refrigeration system is arranged to provide conditioned air to the container where it is combined with container air within a mixing chamber. Blowers are employed to direct air from the mixing chamber into supply air plenums extending along the opposed side walls of the container. Perishable goods are stacked in air penetratable boxes located along the length of the plenums and the end of each plenum is blocked. The fans deliver air at a high volume rate of flow into the supply air plenums whereupon the pressure within the blocked plenums is raised to a level such that the air is forced through the boxes containing the produce. The large volume of pressurized air guarantees accurate temperature control within the container and also the forced convection produced by the conditioned air helps to control the ripening of the product. The conditioned air that has passed through the boxes is then directed back to the mixing chamber via a center isle under the influence of the fans.
It has been found that approximately 10,000 CFMs of air is needed to create sufficient air flow through the cargo in an average-sized mobile container to properly control the temperature within the container and condition the cargo. Accordingly, a number of individual fan units are required to produce the desired air flow through the container. Mounting the fan effectively in the restricted space of the mixing chamber has proven to be difficult. In addition, gaining access to the fan units within the mixing chamber to conduct maintenance and repairs on the equipment has also proven to be as equally difficult.
It is a primary object of the present invention to improve mobile containers for transporting perishable goods.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide more accurate control over the temperature of perishable goods that are being transported in a mobile container.
A still further object of the present invention is to more efficiently mount a number of fan units within the confined space of a mixing chamber located within a mobile container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a high volume of conditioned air flow through a mobile container for transporting perishable produce.
Yet another object of the present invention is to facilitate the mounting and maintaining of multiple fan units within the confined space of a mixing chamber located within a mobile container that is used to transport perishable goods.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by means of apparatus for delivering conditioned air from a mixing chamber located in the front of a mobile container into a pair of supply air plenums that extend rearwardly along the opposed side walls of the container. A series of fan pods are located within the mixing chamber adjacent to the supply air plenums. Each pod includes two separate fan compartments that are stacked in vertical alignment one over the other. A removable bracket is mounted in each compartment for supporting a fan unit within the compartment enabling the units to be easily removed from the compartments. Each compartment further includes a front panel that contains an air inlet opening that is located inside the mixing chamber and a side panel that contains an air outlet opening that empties directly into one of the supply air plenums. Each pod is removably secured to the front wall and one side wall of the container by studs so that the pods can be individually removed from the mixing chamber.